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User comments btil June 2003

>[You have assumed this person is bailing based on his selling a C645. >How do you know he does not have multiple camera kits?]
 
Well, I feel more comfortable with my assumption than yours, based on the excerpted quote below from the description of one of the items for sale, the 350mm lens, not exactly a common item that's sold. If he has a backup, why is he selling a lens that represented a very large investment and that he praised so highly on his own web site? Doesn't exactly sound like a sale of a "backup" to me.

"I've recently decided to part with my Contax 645 system. Here's the very scarce 350mm f/4 lens in true mint condition. It includes the hood and everything supplied by Contax (tripod collar, box, p&hlet, caps, case). It's an extraordinarily good lens as you would expect from Zeiss, comparable to their Tele-Superachromat for Hassy. It also makes a marvelous 500/5.6 when used with the 1.4x Mutar teleconverter"
 
I think it is not appropriate for us to guess why one will sell out the Contax system. If we want to know, we can always write the seller an email. I remember I visited the seller web site before, he did not mention that he owns C645 backups. However, he does own three or four medium format systems.

These days, I have known people dump the C645 for the H1. Since the H1 was announced, the price for the new gray market or used C645 outfits have dropped quite a bit. People may sell their system because of money, too many toys, no time, health, move to digital, move out of MF, buy new (latest and the greatest) systems, etc.
 
Speculation is a waste of time and energy.

If the camera is working for you, that's all that counts.

Anyone that dumps their Contax 645 system at a huge loss to get an H1, has either won the lotto, or is an equipment fairy. The difference between the two systems would have to be huge to justify the loss & cost...and I've handled the H1...and it isn't. All we need are a few leaf shutter lenses, and they are suppose to be coming. Besides, I would hate to lose that 1/4000th top shutter speed and use of 645 lenses on the N cameras. Digital is a non-issue...the Kodak sensor is exactly the same for both cameras.
 
Hello, why sell a Contax 645 to go digital. I have been using my Contax 645 with a PhaseOne back for two years and could not be happier with it (save for their lousy service policies). There are a number of digital backs for the Contax and like Marc pointed out it's the same chip.
 
I followed Robert Allen's advice and called Frazer at Contax UK to find out who the new distributors were for the Kodak digital back after Kodak's recent British policy change (believe it or not, in the UK Kodak had until a few days ago just one, exclusive national digital distributor, consequently the Contax back cost £12,000 here as against a US list price of $12,000).

In conversation I mentioned that I'd heard from a Contax rep in LA last December, that there were three 645 leaf shutter lenses scheduled for early this year.

Not any more there's not.

Apparently it's all change to beat off the Haselblad H1 threat. All we're getting this year is the 90-180mm zoom in December. Then, sometime during the first half of 2004, we'll get the all singing Contax 645 II, with faster auto focus and more efficient power consumption. Perhaps the leaf-shutter lenses are being held back to boost the profile of the re-launch?

I would have thought the best way of countering the H1 would have been to neutralise their key competitive advantage of higher flash synch speeds by releasing as many leaf-shutter lenses just as quickly as possible. Instead it looks like we'll get more discount offers to reduce the European lens and body prices, very welcome too (see the latest British Journal of photography for the evidence) but still not addressing the four year old promise by Contax that leaf-shutters will soon be on the way.

Contax have stands at both Focus in the UK and PMA in the US. If anyone's attending I'd be interested if you can confirm or refute these stories.

Incidentally, Fuji have just announced a virtual full-frame, 22 mega pixel Super-CCD 645 back. I wonder which lucky 645 body will be the first beneficiary of that? The H1 seems to get more attractive by the day!
 
just wondering if anyone has any tips on dealing with the US Contax repair and service dept. I've spent two days on hold for hours and hours trying to get through and never spoken to one living human. I sent an email today and will be interested in how long it takes to get a response on that. Are there any secret phone #'s to call or extensions @ Contax to get through. Once I do send it off, how long can I expect the wait to be before I get my 645 back from them (the shutter is tweaked and needs to be replaced and callibrated). I noticed that another posting in here had the writer buying another setup to have on hand while Contax spent months with his other camera. I hope this isn't the norm. How can they expect to stay in bus. with all the comp. and cust. service like this? Any info. is greatly appriciated...

will
 
Will
Try this,I am assuming you are calling NJ,
800-526-0266 try EXT #4482 or #4440,
Return time for me twice has been less than two weeks.


Good Luck
Rick
 
Will
My selling dealer had to step in with Contax's rep to get them going on my camera. If Rick's numbers don't work you might try that route.
Jim Wedlake
 
I've twice sent some stuff back to Contax; both times I got it back in abou= t tree weeks. That being said I used my dealer for muscle. They went thro= ugh their Contax sales rep not repairs. Contax=E2=80=99s sales rep has a v= ested interest in maintaning their business relationship; their repair dept= does not.
 
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